908 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



It was ag-reed that the institute speakers should be men thoroug'hly 

 abreast of the times, who keep themselves well posted ])y reading, 

 but there was some difference of opinion as to whether or not college- 

 trained men are especially desirable. The fear that such men will be 

 too technical and not sufficiently in sympathy with practice has led to 

 the employment of practical farmers or breeders in many States, 

 selected for their intelligence and success along some special lines. It 

 was generally agreed that a certain number of speakers of this class 

 are a valuable acquisition to the institute corps, but the advantag-e of 

 thorough training in the principles underlying agriculture was recog- 

 nized as greatly strengthening the man for his work. The speakers 

 are called upon to explain the latest theories of science regarding the 

 assimilation of nitrogen, the ripening of cheese, the changes in silage 

 making, the breeding of plants, and similar subjects, as well as to use 

 charts presenting scientific data. Unless they themselves clearl}- and 

 correctly understand these things thej^ are likely to fall into error and 

 to make unwarranted deductions and applications. 



As a general rule, the experiment station worker has been voted a 

 leading place as an institute speaker the countrj^ over. Ver}'^ little 

 real objection has developed on the ground of his being too technical 

 in his presentation or unable to make the application of his knowledge 

 to everyda}^ practice — a theoretical objection which is occasionally 

 still heard in some quarters. But with the growth of the stations and 

 colleges the experiment station worker and the college instructor are 

 becoming less and less available for institute work, and can be relied 

 upon only for special occasions, such as round-ups or meetings in the 

 vicinity of the college. 



As the work develops and funds for it increase, a special class of 

 educated institute workers will be needed, who will couple with an 

 agricultural education a certain amount of experience and a wide 

 knowledge of agricultural conditions in the region where the}- work. 

 These men will be used in addition to a certain number of workers 

 selected from among the best farmers and breeders of the locality, the 

 latter confining themselves to the more strictly practical considera- 

 tions. Some provision might well be made by which the trained 

 institute workers could more readily come in contact with the college 

 and station at frequent intervals, and literature especially adaj^ted to 

 their needs might be provided by State or national agencies. More 

 men are needed to make institute work their business and to give its 

 development and methods serious consideration and study. Then it 

 will be practicable, with more adequate support, to s^'stematize the 

 work to a greater degree, to make it less fragmentary in character, 

 and to reach the great masses of our farmers who are as yet untouched 

 by the experiment stations and the farmers' institutes. 



